How I Graduated College With Honors

Another year of college (or high school) has just started. I thought now would be a great time to write this post to help motivate you to start off your new semester on the right foot. I have always worked really hard at school, and am proud of it. Now that I have graduated and entered the adult world, I wanted to pass down some things I learned during my academic experience. I graduated college with honors, and you can too!

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Why Is Your GPA That Important?

Making good grades is not all about studying, although that is an important. I hope these tips and my experiences help you optimize your academic experience. First off, I want to touch on why making good grades in college is important. If you are on any scholarships, making good grades is crucial to keeping them. Also there are many academic scholarships that you can apply for throughout your years of college, so good grades are also important for that.

I also was invited to compete in exclusive competitions in my major because of my high level of performance. These competitions allowed me not only to win fun things, like a new iPad, but also network with high level executives in the field I was studying. When it comes time to apply for internships, many have a minimum GPA requirement. During my adult interview process, not many have asked about my grades, but I do include my GPA on my resume.

Tips on How You Can Graduate College With Honors:

Choose your classes carefully. For instance I am not much of a reader (I have a reading disorder so I am very slow), I managed to find a class that met my reading course requirement, but the class focused on short stories. Know your strengths and weaknesses. I am weak in reading but strong in math so I was always quick to choose math based classes.

Be picky with your professors. There are many sites that offer reviews of college professors, this is good for freshman who do not have friends they can ask. Within your major, find your favorite 1-2 professors and try to take most of your classes with them. I had one favorite professor in particular, and I ended up taking 3 of my 4 classes with her in my last semester. Don’t just pick a favorite professor because they don’t take attendance. I chose mine because I liked her teaching style, and we thought in a similar way. Her questions always made sense to me, and my answers always made sense to her.

Don’t skip class. So many of my friends got in a habit of skipping class all of the time, just don’t. I know some classes are boring but I guarantee that skipping will cause you to have a lower grade. I will admit that occasionally I went to class and played on Pinterest the entire time, but you know what, at least I was there. Even if teachers do not take attendance they notice who shows up to every class. Being in class and active in the lesson will grow your relationship with that professor. Which will then help you when it comes time to a grade you might need some help with.

Don’t be afraid to ask. I often asked my professors which areas to concentrate on for an exam. And 9/10 times they gave me specifics of what areas I should go over again. Don’t waste your time studying items that you don’t need for the exam.

Don’t edit your own papers. I love to write, I think I am fairly decent at it. But I know my spelling and grammar are not my strong suit. Don’t have your roommate or any random friend edit your paper. Find a English major who you can outsource your editing to. Maybe you can help them with something else. Or sometimes you can make a semester long price deal with them for editing all of your papers. Don’t get stingy, you spend $200+ on one textbook, $20 for one major paper to be edited properly is nothing.

Group work… This accounted for a large part of most of my grades. I suggest taking lead of your groups and creating a outline of when each part will be due. If someone is slacking on their part, politely confront them about it. If they still do not perform to your standards, then do the work yourself. I try to not just run to my professor and complain about a group member, but it did happen on occasion. But remember it is not always about your pride and whose part was whose, your grade is what is really important.

Focus mostly on your major’s classes. I made all A’s (one B) in all of my major’s classes throughout college. This is what you are going to school for and wanting to get a job in, so make sure you get the most out of the most of those classes. I did make a few C’s in college, but they were all in non-major courses (geology, oh my).

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I’m a new reader and enjoy your style and reviews/recommendations concerning clothes, accessories, cosmetics, etc. you are a beautiful young lady!

I am also an English teacher. As mentioned in the above post, quality editing is essential when one is trying to effectively communicate through the written word. I, unfortunately, was confused at the multiple number of spelling, punctuation, grammar, and word usage mistakes in your piece – ironically written on the subject of earning an honors degree! Please let me know if you decide to take your own advice. I am an excellent editor.

Thank you Pam, my pieces has since been edited. I try to have my posts edited before launch, but this was a last minute inspiration. So my editor went over it after the post had gone live. About an hour after your read the piece haha.

Wonderful tips! When I first started college, I was clueless and had no idea. It was such a huge change. I definitely recommend asking classes and doing research on teachers and classes first to help make it a successful semester.

Getting that face time in class is so important! For someone like me who wasn’t a great test taker it was great that I always in class because my professors took note of that! Shows you’re a committed student!

Yes I agree. So many students only show up for test dates or when something is due, and are surprised when they get a lower grade in the class! And teaching style is a big factor. Always research your teachers and when you find one you click with, stick with them! At least you know what to expect!